June

A summary of June in pictures.  For my sake since I am determined to document our summer somehow...

The girls loved playing with sidewalk chalk this summer. They made some really cute designs and came in somewhat clean. Happy times.

 Sometimes summer is simply rolling in the grass.

 Maisie tried tennis this summer. She had fun, but I don't think I foresee her future as a tennis star.

And some time was spent at the lake on Big Mable.

Caramel makes boating and swimming more fun.

We had to say goodbye to our favorite baby sitter. Our small group kids went over to give her a big, energetic farewell.

We spent time fishing at the club. Never a dull moment when three girls have a fishing pole. We enjoyed having Grandma with us; and the 1-1 ratio is beneficial as well.

Analise has learned the art of holding the fish closer to the camera to make it appear bigger.

Sadie caught a cute, little fish.

And it's always nice when all three girls catch a fish. Maisie's turn.

Maisie is Eight

Maisie has been looking forward to her birthday since Sadie had hers in March.  Finally the day arrived, and she greeted it at 6:50. Thankfully she came out with a big smile on her face.

She got to open one gift before school, and it was a shirt from Grandmom and Pops; it seemed like a fitting shirt for this birthday girl.

We had "from a can" cinnamon rolls for breakfast, with the birthday plate, birthday hat and of course, the birthday bear.

Along with her new shirt, I made sure her favorite shorts were clean.

 

Maisie had a fun day at school hearing her name announced over the intercom and getting little gifts from her teacher. (She even got a sweet note with some candy from her 1st grade teacher; I've mentioned those two have something special going.) 

I was able to leave my 5th grade math post for a few minutes to join Maisie for lunch; she seemed to be pleasantly surprised.

After school some friends stopped by with a card and cookie.  We then Face Timed with Grandmom and Pops while she opened  her gifts. Love that gift of technology. :)

Maisie was thrilled about each gift: a couple of new outfits, Legos, a stuffed Minion and Olaf. Actually, Analise and Sadie got Minions, too. They were so excited!

 We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the birthday celebration. I wish I had taken a picture of her with her dinner, but we had ham, cheesy potatoes, homemade rolls, corn on the cob and strawberry pretzel salad. Everyone enjoyed it.

It was then gift time. Here is a picture of her with Uncle Derek. He had taught Maisie how to put a face on her hand to make it look like it was talking. She thought it was hilarious.

 We got Maisie a wallet, a new NE shirt, pants and this New Generation Doll. She was trilled! I was thrilled that I actually had gift ideas this year. :)

 Aunt Sarah got Maisie her own book light and this Fila jacket that Maisie loved and will wear all the time, I'm sure.

 Grandma and Grandpa gave Maisie a new "grown up" Bible with a cover. Maisie was tickled pink, or should I say "purple."

 Maisie also wanted a picture taken with her new water bottle and stuffed puppy.  Olaf made a guest appearance in this picture.

 Maisie had the hardest time deciding what kind of cake she wanted, so I finally had her scroll through Pintrest. She founds lots of ideas there, but 99% were cakes I couldn't do. She finally found one that looked like this, only cuter. However, Maisie was happy with how it turned out. One monkey cake, complete with an almost from scratch cake and homemade frosting.

 She's always been my monkey lover.

 I love how these two are looking at each other.

One of the birthday traditions this year at dinner is going around the table asking a question to the birthday guest, and then sharing something they love about them and giving them a "blessing" for the next year. I jotted down the answers simply because I wanted to remember them.

What do you do when you are afraid?

A: stand back or scream. We added that if it's a storm, she comes to our room.

What would you do if you weren't allowed any screens?

A: she first answered, "Whine for mom to let me have them." And then Legos.

What animal would you want for a pet?

A: Penguin. But she is always asking for a pet monkey.

What is your favorite outfit?

A: Fila shorts and a comfy shirt.

What would you buy at a grocery store?

A: A stuffed animal. She then answered with fruit.

What is something you don't like?
A: ONIONS!
Favorite song?

A: Toby Mac, "Eye on It"

Where do you like the car to take you?

A: Target, CO and IN

Favorite food?

A: FRUIT

Favorite smell?

A: When moms makes sugar. After much laughter, she clarified something like monkey bread because it has sugar in it.

Least favorite smell?
Boiled eggs in fridge or seafood counter at Hyvee.

What kind of fruit would you be?

A: A fruit bowl

Grandpa: always seem happy/best friend would be Jesus

Sadie: love when we play together/hope to see you at school

Analise: make me laugh/enjoy 2nd grade

Aaron: like that you play dodgeball with the cousins in the basement/ that you will get Mrs. Bennett in 3rd grade.

Sarah: that I never know what you are going to say, and you usually make me laugh/fun at the Husker game

Derek: animated and full of excitement/learn to read and understand the Bible

Brandon: love your hugs/ learn to love Jesus more and sleep through storms

Pam: love her smile and how she's willing to pray/handle disappointments better

Braylen: smile and laugh/love 2nd grade

Kaleb: such a cheerful and enthusiastic person/have a great time at Meadowlark

Grandma: pretty smile and wants to be friends with everyone/God would show you what you are good at and she would be patient in learning.

It was a sweet, special day. Not just for Maisie but for me, too, seeing her full of smiles and loved by family. Our family was made better when Maisie entered this world. She does live life to the fullest. Most people see the 100% happy, life is fun. A few of get to see the 100% life is hard, and everyone is out to get me attitude. Regardless, we know she loved Jesus and this year we pray that she believes His truth and not lies of the enemy.

We love you Maisie Lynn!

Grandparent time

While Brandon and I were away, my parents and girls had TONS  of fun. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of their fun. So I will have to go by memory, which probably means I will forget something.

Let's see...dad took the girls bowling, made them lunch, took them to a park...all before mom was home. They colored eggs, went for bike rides, took them to their first real baseball game (Tincaps), where mom watched two play in the jumparoo and Pops answered 1,000 questions from Analise. Really, this ended up being one of Analise's favorite things from the week. They drove them to Warsaw to the Wagon Wheel, where the girls saw "Mary Poppins" performed on a round stage. I was a wee bit jealous and sad I didn't get to go, but I know they all enjoyed it. Of course, they went to the zoo. They watched movies, took bubble baths, and played. And went to bed exhausted. :) 

Mom and dad came to see us in July. I have some pictures from that time together. (However in no particular order. At this point, I am just glad to have them on the blog.)

A group shot.

 

We went for family golf night at Meadowlark Golf Course. It was a great time. The girls loved driving the carts, putting and I loved the time with my dad. I hadn't golfed in two summers, and I was reminded of why I enjoy it. Some day Brandon and I will have more time (and money) to golf. 

 

My two favorite guys

 

I think my Sadie is just so stinkin' cute.

 

Grandmom enjoyed her ride with these two.

 

 One night we went and played tennis as a family.  Really it's just a time of trying to hit the ball and not wet your pants from laughing so hard.

 

After tennis mom, dad and I went over to my MIL's to meet up with Sarah to watch a movie on cable. My friend's mother had written a book that was made into a Hallmark movie. I wanted to see it and "support" my friend, as her mom had passed away before the movie was made. 

Saturday was Cruise Night, and during the afternoon they have fancy/old cars parked downtown for people to walk around and enjoy. We had a good time, and the girls finally learned the difference between and Mustang and Camero. Dad  and Brandon both enjoyed sitting in this really expensive Ferrari.

 

Mom and dad arrived on Friday night - our final night of VBS. Here they are posing with some of the props I had used throughout the week. I love how my dad gets silly with the girls.

 

 These pictures are from IN, when we did our annual strawberry picking.

 

For being "long distance" grandparents, it doesn't feel that way when they are together. They know my girls so well and treasure each moment together. Thanks for the love and fun times while you were  here! 

And thanks for my lunch date with Brandon while you took the girls to lunch and to the Cottonmill Barn And thanks for the help with buying school supplies. Divide and conquer seems to work well! Oh, and thanks for letting Brandon and I go for a walk each night after the girls were in bed. And dad, thanks for playing volleyball with Analise. And mom, thanks for teaching Analise how to play Scrabble - even when dad won. See....the list goes on and on. So thankful!

Wet Wednesday

Wednesday didn't quite go like I had hoped and planned. We woke up to cloudy, cool weather with a good chance of rain. So after breakfast at the hotel, we loaded up and headed for the bike trail  I had read about. We felt a little rushed with the hopes of staying dry.

We found a good starting point and began our bike ride. We rode about eight miles where we came to a pretty view of the bay. We spent time here resting, skipping rocks and enjoying the scenery.

 You can't tell from this picture, but I have about 4 layers on trying to stay warm.

By the time we rode our eight miles back to the van, we got rained on. Not a hard rain, but it was enough to get us damp. I was ready to sit in my dry van.

We drove to downtown Petoskey where we went to restaurant number one. Neither of us could find something that our palate was craving, so I quickly looked on Trip Advisor for another place. We ended up at American Spoon, a cute sit down restaurant. We could only laugh though when the waitress brought us our menus; the choices were even less appealing than the first stop.  But we were committed. And I was proud of myself for being a little more daring in my selection. Turns out that my fish sandwich and potato salad were quite tasty, and Brandon wished  he had gotten the same thing. 

I wasn't quite sure what to do from here. I had wanted to go the beach and relax with a book, but the weather was not conducive to that. I came across a little hike/bike path right in the middle of town, so we ventured on that. We had a very enjoyable walk together. The only "oops" in the walk was Brandon stepping into a big mud puddle. Poor guy had wet, muddy shoes and socks rest of the walk.

After our walk it was dinner time so we found another local place to eat. We both left there stuffed.

By the time we got back to our room, we were tired. I just relaxed and watched Duck Dynasty. Brandon spent 45 minutes cleaning his shoes and jeans from the mud, and then he joined me.

I enjoyed my day biking and walking with my favorite man despite the poor weather conditions.

Oh Mackinac Island

How I love thee.

Brandon and I got up early Thursday morning to make the 50 minute drive to Mackinac City to catch the ferry to the island. It was a cool, dreary morning and ride over on the ferry. I was almost in tears since I had envisioned a beautiful day on the island.
We got off the ferry, and I tried to focus on the good - the smell of horses ad fudge.
We rode our bikes over to our B and B to drop off our luggage. While we were there, the hostess gave us free passes to the Butterfly House and to the Grand Hotel. Things were already looking up. We decided to go to the Butterfly House first since it was indoors and warm.
We had not been here before, and I knew Maisie was going to study butterflies at school,  so I took lots of pictures. Here is a sampling:

 

When we left the Butterfly House, the sun was trying to come out from behind the clouds. I was in awe on my bike ride to the Grand. The sun was coming out, and I was right where I wanted to be. I was almost in tears for the gift God had given me.
See that smile? It was genuine; I was standing next to a lilac bush since it was lilac festival on the island.

 We ate lunch inside at the Grand sitting next to a window where we could see the pretty view and people watch. Here is a common sight.

 We spent a little time on the porch but not very long since we  had other things we wanted to do.

 We unloaded our bikes and headed for some riding adventures.

After lunch we rode the eight miles around the island. It's always a pretty ride. Even though we had been here before and stopped at the same scenic views, I never tire of them.

 Arch Rock. We climbed a couple hundred stairs to get to the top.

 Another pretty view along the route.

 

 After our pretty flat ride around the island, we decided to venture into the inner trails which are anything but flat. We rode up the big hill next to the hotel and I just made it up. A Jamaican said to me. "You go girl," as I slowly peddled by. Made my trip up the hill worth it just to hear him say that with his accent.

We rode around on some back streets and came across some horses, so I had to stop and pet them.

 This horse nibbled Brandon and his things like he was a goat.

 

This picture makes me laugh, just like it looks like the horse is doing. :)

 We rode several more miles up and down and all around. It was so peaceful and quiet. By the end of the 20 miles, my legs were tired, and my bum was really sore.
I must have pictures of this journey on my phone...

These pictures are as we came back into town.

 A glimpse of downtown.

 We love to see the different (and large) homes around the island.

We went back to the B and B to clean up a little and decide where to eat dinner. We chose a good place and enjoyed our meal. We then walked around downtown looking for souvenirs and fudge.  We then went back to our room where to relaxed for while by reading books or checking emails. 

We went out around 9:45 with the hopes of seeing a good sunset. There was no sunset, but we did discover a beautiful, full moon!

Good night Mackinac.